In the refining industry, continuous catalyst regeneration reformers include a catalyst lock hopper. During the reforming process hydrogen-rich gas streams flow from the catalyst lock hopper. Pressure in an upper chamber of the lock hopper must be maintained in a stable manner in order for the continuous catalyst regeneration reformer to operate efficiently. In the past, the hydrogen-rich gas stream has been routed to a large fuel gas drum. The hydrogen is then used as fuel along with the fuel in the fuel gas drum. The fuel gas drum receives a large flow of fuel flowing through it; thus, the addition of a hydrogen-rich gas stream entering the fuel gas drum does not cause undesired fluctuations in the pressure in the fuel gas drum and the pressure in the fuel drum remains stable. While the hydrogen mixed into fuel gas system is ultimately consumed as fuel, the hydrogen itself is valuable and could be more effectively used in other refining and/or processing systems. This loss of valuable hydrogen makes the entire reforming system less efficient and more costly to operate.
Despite many efforts to improve the reforming operations, it will be appreciated there remains a desire to achieve more efficient recovery of hydrogen while maintaining desired stable pressures throughout the reformer systems.
In addition, improved apparatuses are also desired to allow the system to be controlled within narrow parameters without causing the system to become destabilized.
It is therefore desired to recover hydrogen from such systems so that the hydrogen can be efficiently used at its chemical value rather than being reduced to its fuel value. Such improvements are desired to be integrated into reforming operations in order to retain the benefits of the reforming operations while simultaneously achieving a more efficient overall reforming operation.
There is also a need in many other industries, in addition to petroleum and chemical refining industries, to efficiently recover and recycle hydrogen gas. For example, in many industrial processes, materials are contacted with a catalyst in a reactor system under suitable temperature and pressure conditions to cause a reaction between the components in the materials. For example, in a process such as the catalytic reforming of a petroleum type feed stock, the feedstock undergoes a reforming process in order to produce desired products. These reforming processes often produce hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas is valuable and it is desired to recover and recycle such hydrogen for use in other refining processes.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process and apparatus for the recovery of hydrogen from a reforming process.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a process and apparatus for efficiently recovering hydrogen and recycling that hydrogen for use as a raw material in the refining operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to retain a desired stability of pressure throughout a continuous catalyst regeneration reforming process.
With these and other objects in mind, the invention hereinafter is described in detail, the novel features being particularly pointed out in the appended claims.